A Shard Away from Love
by StephanieLovesDisney
Summary: Lucy Evans, with the shard of a star in her heart, finds herself in an attempt to protect herself from Daleks. With the help of the Doctor she escapes back in time. Now she's trapped back in time and must find a way home, but when she meets four men who live on a large peaceful ranch, will she want to go home? This is my first story so please be gentle! :) ENJOY!
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone :) I just wanted to say that I've been an avid reader here for quite some time and finally got the guts to post a story of my own. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it! Rated T for slight language and a tiny amount of violence. There's much in store for the leading lady! Oh and also I only own Lucy... no one else!

~ Chapter 1 ~

~ Third Person P.O.V ~

Once upon a time there was a girl named Lucy Evans. She was 21 years old and living in Cardiff England. She was living in a flat owned by Captain Jack Harkness, but since he was hardly ever there, she spent most of her time by herself. She didn't mind of course, she had a job as a waitress and would occasionally go out to parties, but she really preferred staying at home eating chips and watching movies. Lucy was orphaned at the age of eleven, and resided in an orphanage until she turned fifteen. Jack Harkness adopted her and took care of her until she turned eighteen. After that, he left for a lot of "business trips" and left Lucy to care for herself. She really didn't mind since he was more like a brother to her and she wasn't really dependent on him. One day, after a particularly long day at work, she came home and changed into her pajamas. She threw her hair up in a bun and sat on the couch in her blue button-up shirt and black yoga pants. She was watching a movie when Jack came home. It wasn't the fact that he came home unexpectedly that shocked her. It was the fact that he brought someone with him.

Jack walked into the flat and said to Lucy, "Hey Princess! I'd like you to meet The Doctor! He's an old friend of mine." She looked at the other man curiously and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you Doctor… I'm sorry is there a name to go along with that?" The odd man in a bow tie shook his head and replied, "Nope! Just the Doctor. It's a pleasure to meet you Lucy! Jack's been telling me all about you." She laughed and said, "Really? With how much he's home, I'm surprised he even remembered to mention me." Jack exclaimed, "HEY! It's not my fault that I have a busy schedule. And I still pay the bills don't I?" Lucy smiled at their joking manner and said to the Doctor, "So what is it that Jack said to you?" The Doctor looked straight into Lucy's ice blue eyes and said, "He told me all about the shard that struck you when you were a child." Lucy's eyes bugged as she herself had forgotten about that incident. She nodded and said, "It hit me when I was eight… my parents thought for sure that I was dead, but it barely made a mark… they took me to almost every doctor in London and none of them could figure out what happened." The Doctor smiled and replied, "Oh I know exactly what happened." Then he took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the place that the shard landed. Lucy looked at him curiously and said, "What are you doing?" He checked the results and said, "Just as I thought! The shard is still in there. It's a piece of a star and when it landed, it connected with your heart and placed itself right next to it." Then he looked at Jack and said, "Aren't I brilliant!" Jack rolled his eyes and said to Lucy, "I brought him to check to see if there's any way that we can remove the shard. It could be dangerous." Lucy shook her head and said, "It's been there for over ten years. If it was dangerous, wouldn't something have happened by now?" The Doctor shook his head and said, "It's not the shard that's dangerous, it's who could use it and make it dangerous. Since you don't have bad intentions for the shard, it's locked its power away until you use it." Lucy replied, "You mean… because I haven't really acknowledged its existence, it's protected its power from me?" The Doctor nodded and looked at her with a smile, "It has enough power to blow up the world. It's very powerful and it's only a tiny shard from a star! How wonderful is that?" She couldn't wrap her mind around it. After all, that thing hadn't caused her any problems, not in the thirteen years that it had been lodged in there. There was no way it could be that powerful! She never had any sort of powers, so how could it be true?

All of a sudden, there was a crash outside. The Doctor exclaimed, "We have to get to the Tardis! Get your shoes on, we have to leave!" Lucy grabbed her black boots and followed the Doctor and Jack out the door. Jack stayed close to Lucy to make sure she didn't fall behind. When they got only a few feet from the Tardis, a metal creature appeared in front of them and exclaimed, "Surrender the shard Doc-tor!" The Doctor yelled at the creature, "Why should I Dalek? I put fear into your very being! I will keep you from taking this shard." Then there were hundreds of "Daleks" surrounding the trio. They blasted the ground in front of the Doctor and Jack which threw them backwards and away from Lucy. She screamed and ran towards the Doctor, but a Dalek blocked her way. In mere moments she was surrounded by the creatures. The Doctor yelled to Lucy, "USE THE SHARD! YOU CAN STOP THEM!" She yelled back, "I don't know how!" Jack yelled to her, "Think of your parents Lucy! Think of how angry you were when your mother abandoned you, or how angry you were at the drunk that killed your father!" She closed her eyes and felt her anger rise as the power from the shard took over. All she could see and hear was what the shard wanted her to do to the Daleks. She raised her arms and a force field rose around her and the Daleks. Then she put her arms in front of her and, with all the power she could muster, opened a portal to the "void". Then she sent all the Daleks through. The first Dalek that threatened them shouted, "EXTERMINATE" as it fought going through the portal and shot Lucy with a beam. She wasn't dead, but it did cause the shard to lose a lot of power. She was being pulled in. The Doctor shouted, "Close the portal!" She tried but she was losing consciousness and wasn't able to close the portal. Jack grabbed his time watch and shouted at the Doctor, "Send her out of here! She'll be safe if we send her away!" The Doctor fixed the watch and set it to a random date. Then he threw the watch at Lucy and shouted, "LUCY! CATCH!" With her last bit of consciousness, she grabbed the watch as it sent her away. Once she was sent away, the portal closed and the force field dissipated. Just before she was sent back in time, the first Dalek managed to get near her and grabbed hold of the watch. As they went through time, it grabbed a hold of the shard from Lucy's heart. But the shard shot at the Dalek and pushed it away from Lucy. The Dalek grabbed a hold of the watch and took the watch with it as it was sent to a different time period.

Meanwhile Lucy, who was now completely unconscious, landed in a field far back in time. The shard had burned Lucy after it shot at the Dalek and left her, burns all over her body in only her underwear. She regained her consciousness and opened her eyes for only a moment and caught a blurry glimpse of three men standing over her. She lost consciousness again and drifted off into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

~ Lucy's P.O.V ~

I could feel consciousness coming to me. I felt like I was on a cloud. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw that I was in an unknown bedroom. I felt so weak that I wasn't sure if I could get out of the bed I was in. Then I heard voices. They sounded low… like men's voices, and they sounded a little distant. 'I'm probably on the second floor' I thought to myself. I tried to remember what happened before I… passed out? Fell asleep? I didn't even know… Then I remembered what happened! The Doctor was yelling to me to close the portal. I had to keep it open though… it was the only way to get rid of the Daleks. I thought that I probably went unconscious after that… 'He must have done something to get me out, but if that's true, then where am I?' I thought. The voices started up again. '*sigh* well… looks like the only way I'll find out where I am, is if I ask the owner of this house.' I slowly sat up and could feel my body protesting. I looked over the edge of the bed and found a small pair of black slippers. I slowly moved so that my feet were dangling over the edge. I looked down to the white nightgown I was wearing. It was covering up some nasty injuries, I just knew it. Slipping my feet into the slippers, I realized that they were slightly small but still held their purpose.

I struggled to stand up, and even when I did stand I needed support, so I kept a hand on the wall as I walked to the door. On the way to the door I stopped when I saw my reflection in a nearby mirror. I'm not sure what happened but it definitely involved fire. I was extremely pale and my face had clearly been washed but still held slight burns on my cheeks. My hair had been fried to where its length was at the middle of my neck. It was a mess but I could probably fix it. I continued on my slow journey to the door, gaining strength as I walked. Finally reaching the door, I quietly opened it to take a peak outside the room. I looked into a long hallway. This was a HUGE house, but I could see the stairs that led downstairs to my left. I quietly and slowly made my way to the stairs and stopped just before them. I could hear the men speaking down below. "Pa, she's been asleep for two days. Those burns are starting to concern me. Don't you think we should send for the doctor again?" A really low voice said. My ears perked up at the mention of a doctor. It couldn't be THE Doctor, could it? 'I feel like he would be with me if he were here' I thought to myself. Another, older sounding voice spoke up, "Adam I'm sure she'll be fine. Doctor Martin said her body is weak from the burns and it's going to take a while for her to recover. As long as we keep that ointment on, her burns will be fine." I tried to move closer so I could catch a glimpse of their faces, but I moved too quickly and scratched my burnt arm on the railing. I whimpered from the pain and slid down the wall. The room below me went silent. I held my arm waiting for the pain to go away and heard footsteps heading towards the stairs. After a few moments the pain went away and the footsteps had gone up the stairs. I looked up to a man, about thirty, with jet black hair to match his all black attire. He was definitely a muscular man, and was really good looking. His droopy, hazel eyes looked into my light blue ones. Then he spoke with a deep, calming voice. "Are you alright Miss?" I left my stupor and replied with a weak and unused voice, "I… *clears throat* I'm fine. Sorry to disturb you, I just scratched a burn is all" He smiled at me and said, "You didn't disturb anyone. Would you like me to help you downstairs? Or perhaps I could bring you back to bed for more rest?" I thought about how I was feeling and replied, "Well… I've been asleep for two days apparently, so I think I'd better introduce myself to my caretakers" I smiled at him, "and I could probably use some help getting downstairs. My body is still rather weak." The man smiled and bent down to pick me up. I flinched as his hands got closer to me. He paused and said gently, "I won't hurt you miss. I promise." I looked into his eyes for a moment. Normally I was apprehensive to a man getting so close to me, but something about him seemed trustworthy so I relaxed as he gently picked me up bridal style. He was very strong and gentle. Something about him made me feel… safe.

He carried me down to three other men in a large living room with a large fireplace to the right of the man carrying me. The other men were standing to greet me as the man carrying me set me down onto a comfy couch in front of the fireplace. The oldest man in the room (most likely the owner of the house) spoke up first and introduced himself, "Hello miss. My name is Ben Cartwright and these are my sons Adam, Hoss and Joe" I looked at each of them. Adam was the one who carried me down the stairs. Hoss was standing behind the couch (he was a larger man), and Joe was the youngest looking one standing next to Mr. Cartwright. Joe had an attractive face. I shyly asked, "And… where am I exactly?" Mr. Cartwright gave a proud smile and replied "This is the Ponderosa miss, my ranch" I nodded and said with a smile, "Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you all! My name is Lucy Evans" Their smiles grew after finally learning the name of the woman staying in their guest room the last two days. Hoss spoke up next, "It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am." I giggled and said, "Please call me Lucy. No need to be formal since I've taken up two days of your time." Hoss smiled and replied, "Well how about Miss Lucy then" I smiled and said, "Oh, why not?" I realized as I looked around that I had to be somewhere in the past. There were no electronics and everything looked so… nineteenth century. 'The Doctor must have sent me back in time to somewhere safe… or perhaps it was Jack who sent me back…' I thought to myself. The Cartwrights had given me a few moments to take in my surroundings before speaking. Joe spoke up and said, "So Miss Lucy, where exactly are you from? It's not every day you hear that accent around these parts." I laughed and came up with a semi-lie to accommodate for my current location, "Well technically I'm from Cardiff, England but as you can probably tell I haven't lived there for quite some time. I've been traveling with a man from London called the Doctor and a man named Capt. Jack Harkness." I wasn't really lying there, "The last time I saw them was in the Nebraska Territory on our way to California." I took a guess at the time period and I was damn glad that I was extremely good at history and geography. All thanks to Jack of course. He made sure that I had a higher education. Adam spoke up this time, "So you must have come a long way by yourself. Do you remember how you got those burns?" I looked down at my weak, burnt body and thought of what might have happened. I formed another lie to cover up the actual story, "well some outlaws got a hold of the stage coach we were traveling in and threw the Doctor and Jack off. They blindfolded me and kept me on the coach until they reached whatever destination they were headed to. The last thing I remember was one of them pulling me out of the coach and hitting me on the head… and I suppose there's a faint memory of fire… I definitely remember the pain" I shuddered at the thought of the actual pain I remembered, "They must have tried to kill me by burning me." The fact that I remembered the pain even after I went unconscious terrified me. Adam must have picked up on my fear and sat down facing me on the couch. He grabbed my hand and said, "you're safe now Miss Lucy." Mr. Cartwright nodded and said, "Yes and now that you're in our home, you can stay as long as you'd like." I was speechless for a moment as I processed what Mr. Cartwright had just said to me. I had to do something, I couldn't just stay, but I had nowhere else to go at this point. The Doctor didn't leave me with anything and I wasn't sure if he was going to come find me anytime soon. Then an idea formed in my mind, "What if I clean for you boys!?" They seemed taken aback, and then Mr. Cartwright seemed interested. I continued, "Well I mean… I don't really have anywhere else to go, and I was on my way to California for a job anyway. It also looks like you have a lot to do on this ranch. I'm sure that housework isn't exactly a top priority. So in exchange for staying in your home, I'll keep the house for you. How does that sound?" Mr. Cartwright smiled and said, "I like that idea! I'll gratefully accept your offer Miss Evans." I could see the boys eyes light up.


	3. Chapter 3

**A little side note: I just wanted to make it clear that this is still my first fanfiction, so some details may not be completely perfect. I would appreciate feedback but once again, please be gentle. :) I hope you all enjoy this next chapter! **

I was slightly in a state of shock. I hadn't been with a family in a long time. Granted Jack had adopted me and was like an older brother, but he was hardly ever around and I hadn't been with a legitimate family since my parents died. At that moment I chose to throw those thoughts out and look down at my nightgown. They had to have put me in this since the burns on my skin meant that my clothes would have burnt off. I asked them how they found me. Joe and Hoss seemed to acquire a pinkish hue as Adam filled me in about how they found me. Apparently the three boys had found me on a trail in only my undergarments. 'That explains the blushes on their faces' I chuckled to myself. Since I had burns all over my body, Adam decided to take me into town to have "the doctor" look at my wounds. He covered me in his coat and carried me on his horse to Virginia City. There "the doctor" checked my burns and gave Adam some burn lotion, to heal my wounds, and the nightgown I was currently wearing. They decided that it would be best if I stayed on the Ponderosa since… apparently… some of the people in town were a little apprehensive to have a woman, who clearly had been burned, staying in their town. Hoss and Joe went to buy me some clothes while Adam rushed me back to the Ponderosa. There him and Mr. Cartwright put the burn lotion on and settled me into one of their guest rooms where I slept for two days. I looked to all of them, truly touched by their generous act, and said, "Thank you all so much! I really owe you my life." They all brightened up and told me how they were glad to do it, and how they were happy that I was awake.

A few hours later, I had rested a bit and cleaned myself up. I found a light lavender dress in the clothes that Hoss and Joe bought for me. It was very nineteenth century but it wasn't too formal and wasn't too casual either. It was perfect for my first evening on the Ponderosa. Mr. Cartwright told me that he was having their cook, "Hop sing" prepare a large meal to help me regain my strength. I insisted that there was no need, but Mr. Cartwright assured me that I needed to eat right for my recovery. I was happy when they told me they had a cook so I didn't have to attempt cooking. I can make microwave meals and cereal, but since neither of those really existed yet, I was not going to attempt cooking. Once I had gone up to "my room", I put more cream on my burns. Thankfully it seemed to be working. Next I tried to do something with my hair but since the ends were completely fried, I was forced to cut off the ends and make my hair even shorter. Now my hair was just below my chin, but at least it looked nice. Maybe not appropriate for the women in this time period (and certainly not something I liked) but there was nothing I could do. I could hear the table being set as I applied some light makeup that Joe had found for me. He may have been a boy, but he wasn't completely clueless when it came to makeup and things girls needed. I was still really pale when I looked in the mirror. Hopefully food and rest would bring my color back. Once I could smell the food, I knew I had to go downstairs. I walked down the stairs, on my own, only to be greeted by Adam who held out his arm for me. I gladly took it as he said, "you look lovely Miss Lucy." I could feel a light blush coming and I smiled to him, "Thank you Adam. That's so very kind of you to say" he smiled back and led me to the table. Joe pulled out a chair for me and Hoss served the food onto my plate for me. I looked to all of them and said, "You all really don't have to do this. It's all very kind, but I can handle my own" they all smiled at me as Joe replied, "It's our pleasure Miss Lucy. You still look a little pale and I'm sure you aren't completely healed yet." I thought 'well I suppose this is just them being gentlemen'. I didn't realize till that moment just how hungry I actually was. Once they finished their prayer, I practically shoveled the food into my mouth. It wasn't until I noticed four smiling faces that I stopped and said, "Sorry… I'm just starving!" They all laughed as Mr. Cartwright said, "eat as much as you'd like Miss Lucy. We're not exactly sure when the last time you had a meal was." I smiled and continued eating. Only less pig-like this time. The conversation continued on while we ate. I found out exactly what the boys do on the ranch and I got a pretty good idea of what my duties were going to be around here.

Once supper was finished, the boys helped clear the table while I looked around. The Cartwrights were definitely wealthy and had many nice things. I noted their large selection of books. I made a mental note to ask each one of the Cartwrights what their favorite book was. Suddenly I felt a slight breeze coming from an open window. The air felt so nice! I looked over to the dining room and saw that the men were all in the kitchen… ironic huh? So I grabbed the black wrap with white tassels at the ends that Hoss had bought for me. Putting it around my shoulders I quietly opened the front door and stepped outside. There were several chairs at the end of the porch, so I sat down on one of them and took a deep breath. The air was so pure and fresh. No pollution, no cars, just fresh mountain air. I looked around since it was my first time being conscious outside the ranch house. There was a horse stable not too far from the house. I noted to ask the Cartwrights if I could see the horses. Being an animal lover, that made me extremely excited. Then I looked up to the sky. There were so many stars! Many more than I usually saw in England. Obviously there were fewer lights in 1861. All of a sudden I heard footsteps coming my way. I turned around to see Adam coming outside, guitar in hand. He smiled and said to me, "I was wondering where you'd gone, and I wanted to make sure you were alright." I smiled and replied, "and the guitar is just for show?" he winked at me as I continued; "I really needed some fresh air. I don't think I have ever been to such a lovely place in my whole life" Adam sat in the chair next to mine and began strumming his guitar. He replied with a smile, "I don't think I have ever seen such a lovely lady before." Adam was quite the charmer. I blushed and said, "I'm not lovely. I may not have lived in this area before but I bet there are prettier women than me around here." Adam shook his head but before he could reply Hoss, Joe and Mr. Cartwright joined us outside. Mr. Cartwright sat down with a pipe as Joe brought a glass of water to me. He said, "You really should keep drinking water Miss Lucy. It'll bring the color back to your pretty face." I giggled as I realized that Joe was definitely a flirt. I thanked him and took a sip of the water. I looked over and saw Hoss looking up at the sky. He said, "Shoo… Ain't that a pretty sky." I smiled as I realized that Hoss was the dreamer of the family. I nodded in agreement as my thoughts drifted to a certain blue box. 'I wonder if I'll ever see those nutballs again' I thought to myself. I did sort of miss Jack… just a little.

Mr. Cartwright brought me out of my thoughts as he asked if I had any family in England. I sighed… I had been sort of dreading this topic, but I could handle telling the Cartwrights my story. I began, "Well… my parents were both orphans from birth so I never had any extended family. My parents had told me that they never wanted me to be in that position but when I was ten, my father was in an accident and died. Mother tried to keep herself going to take care of me but she couldn't handle the loss of my father and eventually got sick from a broken heart and died as well. So at the age of eleven, I myself was an orphan." Adam had stopped strumming and the rest of the Cartwrights had solemn looks on their faces. I continued, "I understood what happened to mother, but part of me never forgot how she left me all alone… But you know what? It's ok because when I was fifteen the man I was travelling with, Captain Jack Harkness, adopted me and brought me home to his flat. He took care of me until I could care for myself. He was like an older brother to me and all I really needed was someone who cared… now enough of this sad talk! I saw some very interesting trinkets inside that I'm dying to know about!" Their smiles returned and we all stood to go inside. Joe spoke up and asked, "What's a flat?" I laughed and replied, "Sorry! A flat is a British term for a small house. I forgot that you boys are American." They all chuckled and Adam said, "You're a charming lady Miss Lucy." I blushed slightly as we went inside.

**Another Note: I do know what a flat is, but I don't think Lucy explaining it to the Cartwrights would have gotten anywhere considering apartments didn't exist in that time. **


	4. Chapter 4

**~ Warning: Slight violence in this chapter! Read at your own will :) **

~ A Week Later ~

I looked out to the bright sunny day as I finished making Mr. Cartwright's bed. He had insisted that I didn't need to make beds, but I figured I was cleaning the entire house anyway. Since the boys had so much to do on the ranch, things like dusting and moping and laundry became a big chore. I spent the week cleaning and organizing, much to the Cartwright's dismay. Each one of them had individually told me that I should wait for my burns to heal, but I couldn't be in bed any longer. Adam had been the most persistent in "keeping me from hurting myself". He always came home first so he would catch me cleaning. The second day I was at the Cartwright's, I had gotten out of bed to clean. I was still a little pale but I didn't care. I wanted to start cleaning. I changed into a "short" brown skirt that went about halfway between my knee cap and ankle, and a blue button-up shirt. I was cleaning the main floor when Adam came home and asked what I was doing. He wasn't very happy that I was out of bed, so he literally carried me back to bed. He then stayed with me the rest of the afternoon to make sure I would stay in bed. After a few days of this sort of thing, they finally let me clean in peace. My burns were healing and I had gained my normal color back. I guess the reason I was so antsy to get out of bed was because I was bored… SO BORED! I wasn't used to not having electronics around and because of it I really wasn't sure what to do. The boys couldn't really understand why I was so bored since they always had something to do. Of course, they had no idea what electronics even were. For those first few days, I really missed my phone and computer. During the first week the boys had apparently decided that each one of them would find something to keep me entertained. Joe would play card games and checkers with me to keep me occupied. When I had gotten a bit stronger, Hoss brought me out to see the horses in the stable. He let me feed and brush them. Adam would play his guitar for me and would bring books for me to read. Adam and I spent the most amount of time together that week. He would come home and join me in the living room for a reading session. Whenever we would finish our books, we'd discuss the plot and how we felt about it.

So on this unusual day, a week later since I had arrived, I was doing my routine and cleaning the upstairs when Adam came home. He immediately called for me from downstairs. What was unusual was that he was back super early. I went down the stairs and said, "What are you doing home so early? I thought your father sent you to go get supplies?" He smiled and said, "He did but I figured you might want to come with me. I can take you to the doctor's to get those burns checked and then maybe we could go for a picnic on the way back?" I felt my face go red as I replied, "You mean… just you and me?" He nodded, "But Adam… don't you think that would be a little strange?" He smiled and took my hands, "I figured you might want to get out of this house for a while. Perhaps we could go picnic and read by the lake?" I thought about it and smiled, "I'd love to! Just let me change quick!" He kissed my forehead and I ran upstairs, giggling like a school girl.

Adam and I were on our way to Virginia City and we were talking about all sorts of things. I hadn't been outside the Ponderosa… well conscious anyway… and I had so many questions for Adam. Back in England, you didn't see nature like this (even in the twenty-first century) unless you went to the countryside, which wasn't very often. Adam seemed to be enjoying my company for his otherwise usual trip to town. He didn't seem to mind my questions either. When we got into town he pulled up to the doctor's office. I was beginning to feel a little nervous, and not just because I had no records in this time period. I hated doctors… ironic right? As if he could hear what I was thinking, Adam looked at me and asked, "Do you need me to go in with you?" I swallowed and nodded. He got off and tied up the horse. Then he helped me off and held my hand while we walked inside. The doctor, who was an older gentleman (and your typical looking man from the nineteenth century) greeted us and brought us back to the checkup room. He then asked Adam to leave so he could check my burns. Adam looked at me and asked quietly, "Are you going to be ok if I go get those supplies?" I nodded and replied, "I'll be ok. Where should I go after?" Adam replied, "It's the general store just across the road. Just look for the cart ok?" I smiled and nodded. He kissed my forehead and said, "I'll see you soon." After he walked out, the doctor began by asking me questions. "So Miss Evans is it? Where exactly are you from?" "Cardiff, England originally but I've been traveling for the last three years." He smiled, "England is quite a ways away. Why did you leave?" I didn't really want to keep talking, but I knew I should be respectful. After all, this doctor did give the Cartwrights medicine for my burns. "Well it wasn't really by choice. My caretaker, Captain Jack Harkness, didn't want to leave me alone at home while he sailed to America, so he decided to bring me along." He nodded and, thankfully, changed the subject, "How about we check those burns?" I nodded as he checked the burns on my legs (below my knees) and the burns on my arms. Then he sent for a nurse to check the one on my chest since that's where the worst of the burns was. I figured it was probably because that's where the shard is… perhaps a Dalek was able to attempt to extract it after I went unconscious. The doctor told me that my burns were healing faster than expected and that I should be ok from here on. I thanked the doctor and the nurse and then left to find Adam. I looked out at the street and saw the cart across the road. It was so quiet and quaint in the town. I started walking over to the cart when a couple of really drunk men came out of the "saloon". They started whistling at me while I was walking so I picked up the pace. They must not have been too drunk, because they were able to cut me off in the middle of the road. I looked at the ground and said, "Please excuse me." One of them grabbed my wrist in a death grip. He spoke with a slurred speech, "Hoooowdy maaaa'mmm why dun you com git a drink wif us." My heart was racing as memories flooded my brain. I tried to pull free and said, "Please leave me alone!" He gripped my wrist tighter and started pulling me to the saloon. I pulled harder, but he slapped me in the face when I tried to get away. I screamed and yelled for Adam, which cost me another slap to the face. I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks. He raised his hand to hit me again when all of a sudden, there was a gunshot. I cowered as the man let go. Looking over I saw that Adam had fired a shot in the air. He looked furious as he saw that the man had raised his hand to me. Then he looked over to me and concern washed over his face. I blindly ran to him as he opened up his free arm to me. He held on to me with one arm and aimed the gun at the drunks with the other. I buried my head in his shoulder as he held me tighter to comfort me since I was shaking from fright. I could hear that there was a crowd talking all around us. I buried my face deeper into Adam's shoulder to block them out. Adam yelled to the drunks, "You should never raise your hand to a woman! If you ever touch her again, I won't be shooting at the air!" From what I could hear, they had gotten up and were shuffling their way back to the saloon. It also sounded like the crowd was leaving. Once they had gone, Adam put his gun away and started rubbing my back to calm my shaking. He started whispering in my ear, "shhh… you're alright Lucy. I'm right here… nothing's going to happen to you." Once I calmed down he pulled me back to look him in the eyes. He checked my cheek to make sure I wasn't hurt and wiped away my tears. Once he was satisfied he smiled and said, "There… you're alright." I smiled as he continued, "Why don't you sit on the carriage while I finish getting those supplies, and then we'll go to the lake." I nodded, looking at the ground and said, "Ok… I'm sorry for the trouble." He laughed and replied, "You have nothing to be sorry for Lucy. You didn't do anything wrong." I smiled at him as he helped me onto the carriage. Then he went back inside to pay for the supplies. I pulled my wrap tighter around my shoulders and overheard a couple of women whispering behind me. "Well I thought she was being dramatic. It's not like they were going to kill her." One of them said and the other whispered her agreement. I rolled my eyes and thought, 'Oh what do they know… they probably get hit by their husbands all the time and act like it's normal… well I suppose it might be in this day and age, but I sure as hell do not want any part of it.'

The trip to the lake was quiet, but only because I was still trying to calm down from earlier. I had curled up into a ball and buried my face in my knees. Adam kept sending me concerned glances. He then asked me a question that I wasn't sure I could answer without crying. He rubbed my shoulder lightly and said, "Lucy… remember when you first woke up and flinched when I tried to pick you up? I didn't think about it until today but did something happen to you that causes you to be apprehensive to people touching you?" I sighed, straightened myself out and rubbed my face. I took a deep breath and replied, "I really don't know if you want to hear about it Adam…" He took my hand and said, "Lucy, you can tell me anything. I want you to know that I'm here for you." I took another deep breath and said, "Fine… I'll tell you… When I was turning fifteen the woman who owned the orphanage I was in died from old age. Her son took over after her funeral. On my fifteenth birthday he called me into his office. I went in thinking he was going to give me a birthday present since that's what his mother did for the other kid's birthdays… Instead he locked the door, stripped me and… took advantage of me…" I could feel tears in my eyes as the memories came back and I noticed Adam grip the reins tighter. I took a deep breath and continued, "Somehow Jack Harkness, the man who adopted me, saw what was happening and broke in through the window. He rescued me and brought me to the hospital. Afterwards he took me back to legally adopt me and that's the end of that. He really saved my life and protected me after that incident. But even so, I've been very apprehensive around men since then. You were the first man who I trusted without question. I'm not sure why but I trusted you from the moment you told me that you wouldn't hurt me." He smiled, caressed my cheek and said, "And I promise I'll never hurt you as long as we're together. I'll always protect you Lucy." I smiled and thanked him as we came up to the lake. Adam and I spent the rest of the afternoon eating the food Hop Sing had prepared and reading on a blanket next to the lake. We didn't say much as we were too busy enjoying each other's presence.

After about three hours Adam looked up at the sky, which was slowly growing orange, and said, "Well… we should probably get back or else pa will think that I forgot about the supplies." I laughed and replied, "It's much too peaceful here… I don't think I ever want to leave." He chuckled, "well as much as I'd love to sit here with the loveliest woman in the world, I unfortunately have other obligations to oblige." I blushed and said with a smile, "you really need to stop that. I'm not that pretty." Adam sat up and gently caressed my cheek, "No matter what you think Lucy, you are the most beautiful woman to me." He smiled and I looked deep into his hazel eyes. His smile always made my heart melt. I had really hoped that wasn't the shard but I managed to ignore it as Adam moved close, slowly to make sure I was alright with his advance. I moved closer to show him that I was alright with it. I closed my eyes and felt his soft lips touch mine. It was such a short kiss, but it held such emotion and care. I knew it was only for a moment or two but it felt like an eternity; an eternity that I never wanted to end. He pulled away and I felt like I was in a dream. Only I wasn't and I couldn't believe that Adam kissed me. I thought for a moment that it was going too fast but when I saw Adam's smile, the thought melted away. He stood and began packing up our picnic. I stood up and helped him get everything back into the carriage and off we were, back to the Ponderosa. I was laughing at the story he was telling me about Hoss and Joe getting into professional wrestling when we walked into the house. Mr. Cartwright was at his desk when we walked in. He asked us what we had been up to all afternoon. I smiled at Adam who told me to go upstairs and get some sleep. I would have argued, but I was tired. So I bid them goodnight and went up to my room. I knew that Adam was probably telling his father of what happened today, but I didn't care. I spent the night dreaming about that wonderful kiss.

**So now we know more about Lucy's past. Lucy and Adam seem to be having a little romance going on here ;) I hope you readers are enjoying the story so far! R&R if you would please :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay next chapter :) I hope you are all enjoying the story! This is a shorter chapter but I felt it was necessary to hear a bit of what Adam's thinking ;) Enjoy!**

~ Adam's P.O.V ~

I looked at the stairs where Lucy was just a moment ago. Her absence after spending the day with her made me feel slightly empty inside, despite the fact that I would see her in the morning. I really didn't want to do this, but Pa needed to know what happened in town. If he was going to send me to San Francisco the next day, I needed to make sure that Lucy was going to be safe while I was gone. I looked at my father and said, "I took her with me to Virginia City today so I could get those supplies and so she could get her burns checked by Doctor Martin." He nodded and replied, "And that took you all afternoon?" I shook my head, "Afterwards, we went to Lake Washoe for a picnic, but that's not why I need to talk to you. Something happened while I was getting supplies." He raised a questioning eyebrow as I continued, "Some of the townspeople apparently think that Lucy's a threat to the 'peace' in Virginia City. That's what Will Cass told me at the grocer. And before he could elaborate on that comment, I heard Lucy scream and yell for me." I recalled the terror in her voice and took a deep breath to quell my anger, "When I went out to her, one of the men from the saloon had raised his hand to strike her." Pa expression looked how I felt; angry. He spoke up, "Why would they do something like that?" I shook my head and replied, "I have no idea Pa, but I want her to stay here on the Ponderosa. She's so frail and skittish… I'm afraid that someone might try to hurt her if she goes out alone." Pa raised his eyebrow again and gave me a knowing smile as he asked, "Since when have you gotten so concerned for Miss Lucy?"

I tried to keep myself from smiling at the memory of kissing Lucy at the lake. I managed to accomplish that as I replied, "I'm just concerned about her well-being." Pa gave me that look he gives me when he knows I'm not being entirely honest, but changed the subject anyway, "So why are you telling me all this exactly?" He asked. I looked him in the eyes and said, "I know you're planning on sending me to San Francisco tomorrow." He nodded and said, "I wasn't going to but you're the only one, other than me, who can make this deal and I certainly can't go with all the work that needs to be done here." I nodded and replied, "I figured that was the case… so the reason I'm telling you this is because I want Lucy to be protected while I'm gone." He gave a nod and replied, "You have my word that if she leaves this house while you're gone, she'll have Joe, Hoss or me accompanying her… Now be honest with me Adam, do you have feelings for her?" I thought about it for a moment and replied, "I'm not really sure… I feel like I'm falling for her, but she's only been here for a week… I'm planning on thinking about how I feel while I'm in San Francisco." He nodded and said, "Well… make sure you think long and hard about this Adam. Like you said, she's very frail and doesn't need you toying with her emotions." I rubbed the back of my neck and nodded in response. I really didn't want to toy with her, but I already felt a strong connection between us. I just didn't know if courting her was appropriate so early in her stay on the Ponderosa. This was going to be a long trip… I bid my father goodnight and went upstairs. I stopped in front of Lucy's bedroom door. I debated for a second before quietly opening her door. She was sleeping soundly with a small smile on her face. I couldn't help but smile at the sight. Her smile made me feel light as a feather. I closed the door quietly and thought, 'what's wrong with me?' It would just have to be something I figured out in San Francisco.


End file.
